Last minute wedding dresses – how to avoid disappointment

Recently a bride-to-be contacted me wanting a dress for her wedding with only 10 days to go before she was flying out to the wedding destination! She told me she had been to numerous bridal boutiques and could not understand why no one could help her. I explained that bridal boutiques usually don’t make dresses themselves, instead they stock a selection of styles in sample sizes from the brands they represent. Often the dresses are made overseas they wait until they have a few orders to keep shipping costs down. Generally sample wedding dresses are not for sale. And even if they are happy to sell a sample, most alterations services demand a minimum of two weeks notice. So you can see why leaving your wedding dress until the last minute is not advisable…

Lace cowl back wedding dress by Elizabeth Bessant couture

If you google ‘last minute wedding dresses’ you will find sites offering this service but don’t get too excited as too often the dresses on offer are factory made and of poor quality. I have helped out two brides recently who ordered their wedding dresses online because they thought this would be the easiest, most cost effective option. But the dresses didn’t fit and were very different to the photos – what looked like silk was polyester or nylon, pearl beads were peeling and in one instance, silver embroidery turned out to be gold. Normally you can return a dress if you are not satisfied but that is a further delay and more cost as you will be expected to take out insurance cover or take responsibility yourself.

There is a growing trend for designers to sell last season samples online or from their showroom. But this is very hit and miss: you may find your size and not like the design or vice versa. If you have a dream of how your wedding dress will look and you have left it to the last minute you will need to make compromises.

Going direct to a designer will improve your chances of finding the right wedding gown at short notice – but only if there is a sample dress that fits you with minimal alteration. It will also depend on how busy they are and if they do the alterations in-house. We make all our dresses in our London studio so this allows us to be more flexible with deadlines, but even so 10 days would not allow for all the stages and fittings that go into making one of our bespoke dresses. However we are able to alter our sample dresses within a few days if necessary – and I always try to help my clients.

Lace wedding dress with Deco beading by Elizabeth Bessant couture

When planning your wedding, to avoid disappointment start looking a year ahead – it is a big decision and if you get it wrong it will haunt you for a long time to come. Most bridal boutiques and designers will want six to nine months lead time and if you give less than two months notice will often charge around 20% extra. I like to be more flexible – choosing a wedding dress should be a joy – and because everything is made in our London studio we can juggle deadlines to fit you. My dedicated team of skilled couturiers have been known to work into the night to help out a bride.

Often brides will say to me: ‘I only want a simple dress’. But the couture process is the same, in fact the cut and fit is even more important if the design is simple as the dress relies on being beautifully made and perfectly fitted. Why? Because there are no beads, lace or bling to distract the eye, and the dress relies on the fabric, a beautiful cut, perfect seams so that it flatters and moves when you walk. Often the number of fittings for these dresses will be the same as a more extravagant gown.

This year we have seen two royal brides, Megan and Eugenie, wearing beautifully cut dresses that did not rely on embellishment to create drama. Both dresses had long sleeves with wide necklines that caped the shoulders creating 1950’s glamour. This will surely influence future wedding dress trends after many years of lace following Kate, The Duchess of Cambridge’s, wedding.

Wedding dress and cathedral veil by Elizabeth Bessant couture
Silk chiffon dress with handmade flowers by Elizabeth Bessant couture

Already brides are asking for a more pared down look – one bride I spoke to recently wanted a simple ivory silk slip with spaghetti straps. I love working with brides whatever the theme and style of dress. And one of the advantages of working directly with the designer is that you can input your ideas and help to create your dream dress – so much more relaxing than trying to buy the right dress at the last minute…